By dismissing KL Rahul, Rohit and Pujara on Day One at Green Park, NZ spinner will be crucial for visitors to win their first Test on Indian soil after 27 years
Mitchell Santner celebrates an Indian wicket at Green Park yesterday. Pic/AFP
Mitchell Santner celebrates an Indian wicket at Green Park yesterday. Pic/AFP
Kanpur: Is the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand the more aggressive team or Virat Kohli's side? That was the question that begged an answer on the opening day of the first Test here yesterday.
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Most experts were surprised by the Kiwis' game-plan to go into the opening Test on a turning track with three spinners and two pacers, rather than take the safer option of including an extra batsman to keep the Indian bowlers at bay.
But since they realise it is very difficult to play for a draw on turning tracks, it's best to be positive and aim for a win, rather than plan to avoid a defeat.
Thus, rarely, if ever, we are seeing a visiting team, especially from outside the sub-continent, play with more spinners after the home team opted for just two spinners. That's the big gamble the New Zealanders have taken, by including five bowlers and two wicket-keepers in BJ Watling and Luke Ronchi, with the latter playing as a batsman. Thus, in effect they are down to just four frontline batsmen—a risk they have thought worth taking in order to take the role of the aggressors.
Only time will tell whether this decision was a wise one or not, but full marks to them for coming into the Test series with a positive intent. Their bowlers, especially Trent Boult and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, have ensured that the opening day honours were shared with the home team. Now it is up to their batsmen to build on a good job done on Day Two.
The most impressive of the three spinners on view was Santner. It was he who kept the famed Indian batting under a tight leash and forced the batsmen to play ill-judged strokes and lose their wickets. He entrapped free-stroking KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, to stymie India's progress on Day One.
Santner was happy with not only his own bowling effort, but also of his spin partners Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig and said the New Zealand game-plan on a slow turning pitch was to bowl in the right areas, bowl as many dot balls as possible and frustrate the batsmen.
His three dismissals were well thought out, as he lured the batsmen to play injudicious strokes, especially Rohit, who gave a tame catch to long-on for yet another failure at the Test level. The pressure Santner put from one end also helped his spin colleagues Sodhi and Craig to pick up a wicket apiece.
There is little doubt that Santner, after passing the opening day test, will be a crucial factor for the Kiwis if they hope to record a rare win on Indian soil after 27 years. Their only two Test wins in India in 31 matches came way back in 1969 and 1989.
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